


Lila & Marinette Moments

by jamdraws (tav1sh)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, bunch of drabbles from lilanette week and other stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8980903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tav1sh/pseuds/jamdraws
Summary: a series of lilanette drabbles from lilanette week and other assorted thingies





	1. Confession

**Author's Note:**

> from lilanette week prompt confession

She always came just after the sun dipped below the sky, taking the reddish clouds with it and leaving behind the dark blue night. Lila kept the balcony door unlocked for this express reason. In the beginning she didn’t know what to think of it.

After the Volpina incident, Lila hadn’t wanted anything to do with Ladybug ever again. No one knew who the villain had been other than Adrien and the two heroes, and she wanted to keep it that way. She wanted to leave that memory behind forever.

But Ladybug thought otherwise.

One day Lila was walking home from school, and all of a sudden Ladybug dropped down in front of her.

“Wh- Ladybug?!” Lila scoffed as she stepped back. Ladybug blinked and Lila realized that the heroine was holding something. The girl thrust the object towards Lila.

“Hi. Um, here.” Ladybug said sheepishly, glancing away. Lila looked curiously at the item and saw it was a wrapped box. It was small and covered in pink wrapping paper.

It looked like a present.

Lila wasn’t one to let her pride fall.

“What is this?” She asked suspiciously. Lila folded her arms and looked down at Ladybug with disbelieving eyes. Why would her greatest enemy come to her with a gift? Ladybug looked around the street; luckily, there was no one around. Then she turned back to Lila.

“I… I don’t blame you if you don’t believe my apology.” Ladybug began, and then she frowned. “But I really am sorry about what I did.” She confessed, and Lila was momentarily stunned.

Before she could say anything, Ladybug placed the box in Lila’s hands, and then she was gone.

When Lila went home and opened the box, she found an assortment of chocolate. Lila suddenly had a nagging feeling that she was the person who ought to have apologized, not Ladybug. She closed the box and went to bed, but not before reopening the box to have a piece.

It turns out the next time Lila saw Ladybug wasn’t too far off. Only a couple days passed until another person was turned into a supervillain. This occurred at the park, where Lila had been passing through on her way home from school.

And of course, none other than Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up to save the day. But before they saved the day, Ladybug personally came over and saved her, delivering her safely back to her house.

Lila was skeptical and confused over this behavior, and didn’t think she’d see Ladybug again.

But she did. Again and again. Chance meetings turned into nightly visits. Jeers turned into witty banter turned into support and compassion. Somewhere along the way Ladybug had stopped being the antagonist in Lila’s life and had become her shoulder to lean on.

To cry on.

Lila looked up as a shadow moved in her window, blinking through her tears. A red hand pushed open the glass, and Ladybug stepped into her room.

“Lila!” The heroine exclaimed lightly at the sight of tears in Lila’s eyes. She moved over to the bed, where Lila was sitting. Ladybug’s arms came around her shoulder, soothing her trembles.

“L-Ladybug.” Lila whispered, bringing her own arms around Ladybug. “Could you just- could you take me away from here?” She asked, pulling the heroine close.

“Of course.” Ladybug answered.

Relief coursed through Lila, and then she was clinging tightly to Ladybug’s side, arms wrapped snugly around the spotted waist as the heroine used her yoyo to travel through the sky, swinging past buildings and lit windows and winking stars.

When they finally stopped atop an empty roof, Ladybug asked the question.

“What’s wrong?”

Lila bit her lip.

“It’s them, again.” She replied, trying put her hair back where it belonged. The voyage here had been exhilarating, but very windy.

“Your parents?” Ladybug inquired sympathetically, and Lila nodded bitterly. She watched as Ladybug sat down. “Come here.” She said to Lila, gesturing with her hand.

Lila went, and then she was pulled down in Ladybug’s embrace, face pressed against her chest.

“It’s like I don’t even matter.” She said as her eyes began to well up again, hands clutching at Ladybug’s shoulder. “It’s like they don’t even love me.” She said, choked as Ladybug’s arms held her tighter. “No one does.”

There was a pause.

“But I do.” Ladybug said, barely audible.

Lila’s eyes widened when she heard it. She didn’t think- she didn’t realize that her own affection could ever be reciprocated. After Ladybug’s visits became more frequent she’d known she was developing feelings. But Ladybug liking her back?

“I- really?” Lila said in a small voice, refusing to look up as color flooded her cheeks. “You’re not… joking?” Because she kind of didn’t think it would be real.

“Really.” Ladybug answer, and Lila heard the heroine’s heart thrum in her chest. “I’ll prove it to you.” She continued, and then she was lifting Lila’s head up, fingers under her chin and locking eyes. Lila’s mouth fell open in shock and embarrassment; she didn’t know what to do.

But there wasn’t time to think before Ladybug moved in and gently touched Lila’s lips with her own, warmth curling through her cheeks. Lila made a noise of surprise somewhere in the back of her throat but it was lost in their kiss. It was warm and full of affection and it made Lila’s heart soar.

And then the contact was lost. Ladybug moved to withdraw and the cold night air replaced her lips. Lila didn’t waste anytime before she covered the distance that Ladybug lost and then they were kissing again.

Lila didn’t want it to end.

When she finally made it back to her bedroom, an hour or two had passed. But as she slipped under her comforter and watched Ladybug wave and close the window as she exited, she fell into a deepest sleep she’d had in weeks.


	2. Stuck Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> from lilanette prompt stuck together

“Like this?” Marinette asked, threading her fingers through Lila’s. Lila smiled, squeezing Marinette’s hand. The two were walking together at the mall, and the topic of hand holding had come up.

“Yes.” Lila said, blushing. Marinette giggled, feeling giddy in the moment before something suddenly slammed into their interlocked fingers, gluing their hands to the wall behind them. Marinette’s eyes widened as she tripped forward; she realized the purple pause symbol. It could only mean a certain akuma had returned. However, before she could get back on her feet, another pause symbol stuck her other hand to the wall by Lila’s thigh, and then another stuck Lila’s last free hand against the wall as well.

Marinette frowned as she heard a familiar cackle, and turned her head as best as she could, trying not to touch Lila’s stomach as she did so.

“Ah, Lila Rossi.” The voice said, and Marinette saw that it was indeed Lady Wifi floating behind her.

“What?” Lila looked at the person incredulously, before realizing that it was the administrator of the Ladyblog in her akumatized form.

“It’s been said on record that you are very close to Ladybug.” Lady Wifi said, looking down at the two girls, still stuck in the uncomfortably close position. Marinette held her breath, suddenly anxious about her identity. Lady Wifi swiped up at her phone and then a small screen appeared. It was the interview Lila had had taken before where she’d lied about knowing Ladybug.

“Ladybug and I, we’re like this.” Lila had said, crossing her fingers after giving a ridiculously haughty laugh. Lila glanced away; she had changed since then.

Well, at least now she wasn’t wrong… ;)

“I want to unmask her. We can’t trust superheroes if they can’t trust the people with their identity.” Lady Wifi continued, repeating words she had said the last time she was akumatized. “Do you know anything about her identity?” She then asked, looking stern.

“No.” Lila said firmly. “I’ve only ever met her in her superhero form.” She continued, and Marinette sagged in relief before realizing that only let her rest her cheek on Lila’s stomach.

Marinette realized she kind of liked that proximity.

“Really.” Lady Wifi said, clearly unconvinced as she folded her arms.

“Really. However, I have heard that Chloe Bourgeois knows a lot about Ladybug, you might want to ask her.” Lila said confidently, despite being stuck to the wall while also having her girlfriend’s head stuck to her middle.

Lady Wifi grimaced, but was convinced enough to leave them alone.

She didn’t unpause them, though.

Hoo boy, Marinette thought to herself.


	3. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a gift for shabutar0 for the lilanette secret santa. its mari's bday and lila doesnt know wat to do

Lila pressed a palm to her mouth, screaming internally. Marinette’s birthday was in a week, and she hadn’t known that until just a few seconds ago via Alya. What was she going to do? She stared at Alya in dismay, eyes wide in terror.

“Woah, calm down,” Alya laughed, “It’s just her birthday.”

“Calm down? What am I going to do?” Lila bit her lip, mind racing as she tried to come up with ideas. Spending her time traveling and not making many friends meant that she never really had to buy many birthday gifts for anyone. But she absolutely had to get a present for Marinette; they were in a relationship!

“That’s why I came to talk to you,” Alya said, putting a hand on Lila’s shoulders, “I know a lot about Marinette, and I figured you might need some help.”

Oh, thank god.

“Yes.  _ Help me _ .” Lila threw both her hands on Alya’s shoulders, looking up at the girl with desperation in her eyes. Alya chuckled, patting Lila gently.

“I will.”

***

“So, what are you getting for her?” Lila asked. She’d scheduled a mall trip with Alya just so that she could get a good gift.

“There was a really good sewing machine that was on sale a few days ago,” Alya said, glancing around the building, “Marinette had been complaining that hers was acting up, so I got that for her. Nino pitched in, and so that’s our joint present.”

“Oh,” Lila said, nodding, “that makes sense. Marinette likes making clothes, after all.”

“Yep.”

“I know she likes video games. Do you know if there are any games that she wants right now?” Lila asked as she spotted a game shop not too far from them. Marinette was into fighting games, Lila knew, but knew nothing about that. Lila had only had experience with massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

“Hmm,” Alya said, “She hasn’t said anything recently.” 

Lila’s shoulders visibly sagged as she frowned. 

“I’m good at picking out clothes, but Marinette can already make her own,” She sighed, “And I don’t know much about the kind of games she likes. I could get chocolates but she already lives in a bakery. I want to get her something good but I honestly have no idea,” Lila lamented.

“I’m sure we can come up with something. But you know, if we can’t, we can always put you in a big box and give that as a gift,” Alya shrugged, chuckling. Lila looked Alya in horror, despite finding the comment a little amusing. It would be funny, but Lila would never live it down if she couldn’t give Marinette an actual gift.

“I’d die.”

“Nah, she’d love it,” Alya smirked, laughing at Lila’s reaction.

“I’d rather get her a  _ real  _ gift, thank you very much,” Lila shook her head, sighing.

“Well, I was only joking,” Alya said, and they entered another shop.

Lila had no idea what to do. Marinette always made things by hand for people. Lila wasn’t sure how Marinette would feel about a  _ bought  _ gift. But Lila also didn’t really know how to make anything at all. 

“You could get matching phone charms or something,” Alya suggested, and Lila shook her head.

“We already have necklaces, though. Another matching thing seems kind of… ordinary,” She said, fingering the pendant on her neck.

“Gifts don’t have to be extraordinary,” Alya replied, “They just should show that you care.”

“But still,” Lila frowned, “she deserves something extraordinary.”

Alya paused and spared a glance at Lila.

“Wow,” She finally said, and Lila made a look.

“What?” She asked defensively, “It’s the truth!”

“You really like her, don’t you?” Alya smiled, and Lila went red.

“Of course I do!” She exclaimed, folding her arms, “I’m her girlfriend!”

“She’s lucky to have you,” Alya said, patting Lila gently.

“ _ I’m  _ lucky to have her,” Lila corrected, “She’s amazing.”

“She’s just as lucky to have such a caring girlfriend,” Alya retorted, and Lila flushed harder, but fell silent for a second.

“Really?” She asked, and Alya nodded.

“Of course.”

“Oh.”

The two walked quietly for a minute, Lila thinking hard about her words. She never really thought nicely about herself; she knew that she wasn’t anything special. She knew that she used to lie about everything to make people like her. She knew that she got in the way of her parents’ jobs and that she wasn’t particularly beautiful or smart.

She wasn’t athletic or anything like that. She didn’t have any talents aside from being charismatic and convincing people that her stories were true.

But Alya had said that Marinette was lucky to have her.

Lila had to prove it true, then, and get Marinette an awesome gift.

Man, that just made her feel more pressure. 

“She draws a lot, right?” She suddenly said, an idea lighting in her mind.

“Yea! She draws clothing designs all the time.” Alya nodded, a mile growing on her face. “As a matter of fact, I think she’s almost finished her current sketchbook!” She added with a wink.

“I could get her a new one! Or, uh, I could get a drawing tablet or something?” Lila suggested, looking around the mall and searching for a place that might sell either of those.

“I think drawing tablets are pretty expensive,” Alya shrugged, “Maybe if they’re on sale?”

“How often do you think she would use it?” Lila asked.

“A sketchbook would probably better. You can’t really just carry around a drawing tablet if you have no computer to connect it to,” Alya said, and Lila frowned.

“What if it was a small portable display tablet? It would be thinner than a sketchbook and she could draw as many things as she wanted on it” Lila inquired, praying that this idea would work out.

“Ooh, that sounds like a good idea! Marinette has tried using art apps on her phone before, but the screen was always too small.”

“Which stores here would sell them?” Lila asked, beginning to feel relief and excitement. Her present would be fun  _ and  _ useful. Thank god for that.

“I’ve got a couple in mind,” Alya said, pulling Lila along to an electronics shop close by.

***

Well. 

Obviously Lila would end up showing way too early to the party. She clutched the wrapped box in her arms nervously. There luckily had been a clearance sale, so she’d gotten it for pretty cheap in comparison to most tablets. Lila still had been a bit unsure, so she’d also gotten a cute dotted sketchbook. And, well, maybe she’d also put in other random things she’d thought Marinette might like. There were hair clips and hair ties and bracelets and little accessories that Lila thought Marinette would look cute with. 

She’d nearly gotten earrings before she realized Marinette always wore the same pair without fail.

All in all, she’d probably spent a little too much money on all of the gifts, but she didn’t regret it because Marinette had deserved it.

When the door opened, Marinette’s mom was standing there.

“Lila! Welcome! Come on in,” The woman said, gesturing her inside, and Lila smiled as she stepped in. The bakery had been decorated with streamers and balloons, and a table had been cleared off for presents.

“Marinette’s getting ready upstairs. She’ll be down soon,” Mrs. Cheng explained, glancing at the stairs.

“Sorry, I’m kind of early, I guess,” Lila said sheepishly, setting down the box on the empty table.

“Don’t be! You’re always welcome here,” The mom winked, and Lila laughed. Being in the bakery never failed to warm Lila’s heart. “You can go up there if you want or you can wait down here. I’ve got to go help my husband finish up the cake.”

Lila ended up going on upstairs, and she gently pushed the trapdoor open. Marinette was running from side to side of the room, clad in a casual dress and no shoes.

“God, where did I put it?” She said frantically, digging through her desk before running a hand through her hair. Marinette hadn’t noticed her yet.

“Maybe you left it on your bed?” Another voice said, and Lila’s face transformed into confusion. Who could it be? But as Lila turned her head, she saw a red creature floating alongside Marinette.

Ah.

Lila had figured out the whole Ladybug thing awhile ago, but Marinette didn’t know that she knew. Lila decided to let Marinette to be the one to tell the truth, because it was her secret to tell, anyway. There had been some grief with that realization, but acceptance and resignation had come after it.

And now Lila was mostly okay with it. She closed the trap door silently and then knocked on it.

“Marinette?” She called out, heart racing.

“Lila!” Marinette’s muffled voice returned, “It’s open!”

Lila pushed the trapdoor up all the way and climbed into Marinette’s room, wondering where the creature had gone. But nevermind that, now she had a good look at Marinette. Her girlfriend was wearing a casual pink and white dress that didn’t reach much farther than her thighs, but she was also wearing white leggings.

“Wow,” Lila breathed, “You’re beautiful!”

Marinette replied by running up to Lila and pulling her into a big hug.

“Lila, I missed you!” Marinette said into Lila’s neck, and she laughed. The two hadn’t gone on a date or anything for about a week, and had only seen each other at school. 

“Me too,” Lila said, wrapping her arms around Marinette, and then she got up from the stairs and closed the trapdoor.

“Happy birthday, Marinette!” Lila then pecked Marinette gently on the lips.

“Woah, hold on!” Marinette stumbled back a little bit and Lila froze. “Let me just finish getting ready, or else I’ll get distracted.”

Oh.

Lila laughed and reluctantly agreed, taking a seat on Marinette’s chair.

“Does that count as a birthday kiss or should I just do another fifteen in case?” Lila asked as Marinette searched through her closet.

“Maybe you should be safe,” Marinette said, “Another fifteen sounds good.”

“Just making sure,” Lila said gleefully, watching as Marinette pulled on a cardigan. “Will I get an extra kiss on my birthday?”

“Of course. You’ll just have to remind me,” Marinette paused to wink at Lila, who winked back.

The two made playful banter as Marinette finished cleaning up, laughing and giggling until they heard Marinette’s mom call for them.

“I guess someone else just came,” Lila commented, “We should go down.”

“What about my birthday kisses?” Marinette pouted, and Lila rolled her eyes playfully.

“I’ll give you one right now. We can have the rest of them later.”

“Alright,” Marinette sighed, and Lila took the opportunity to lay a hand on Marinette’s cheek and kiss her.

***

“Open the presents!” Alya called from the table as Marinette looked for a cake knife in the kitchen.

“Maybe  _ after  _ we’ve cut the cake and eaten it?” Marinette said back, shooting her friend a look.

“Go sit down, Marinette. You should let us get everything,” Mr. Dupain suddenly said, walking into the kitchen. Marinette sighed in resignation.

“Alright, but when it’s  _ your  _ birthday,  _ I’ll  _ be the one cutting the cake for you,” She said, handing the knife to him before going back to the table. 

“Of course!” Her dad said back, smiling.

“I’ll bring the presents over,” Marinette informed the party guests, but she was immediately met with disagreement.

“No way. You should sit down and  _ we’ll  _ get the presents. It’s your birthday, after all,” Nino tutted, shaking his head.

“Oh come on, you’re all my guests!” Marinette protested, but let herself be seated. Lila, Alya, Nino and Adrien all got up so they could grab the pile of gifts on the other table and bring them other.

“You should let us do something for you sometimes, you know,” Adrien gave Marinette a smile as he passed, and Marinette huffed.

The four came and went, bringing back wrapped boxes and parcels until there were a solid five gifts surrounding Marinette. Just then, her father came over and set the cake down in the center of the table. Lila’s hand found hers under the table. Her friends and family were singing, beaming at her as she blushed under all the attention. The lights were off, the candles were burning, and Marinette was content to gently blow the flames out as everyone cheered.

She was sixteen, now.

After they ate the cake while listening to Nino’s wild stories and jokes, Marinette began to open the presents. She was a little intimidated; many were large and pretty hefty. She tried to peel the paper off in an orderly fashion, but her patience was wearing thin and the wrapping paper was too delicate, so it devolved into tearing. Marinette pulled spotted and striped paper off in loads, surprise and excitement filling her as she saw all of the presents. Nino had gotten her a new video game that she’d wanted to play earlier that year but forgotten about due to school and being a superhero. Alya had surprised her with a completely brand new sewing machine that Nino had also chipped in to get (Nino was the real MVP), and Marinette gushed over the settings and sleek design. Adrien’s present was actually in an fairly thin box, and upon opening it, Marinette found tickets to an Agreste fashion show, his father’s soon-to-be-published designing book and even earrings.

Oh, crap.

Looks like Marinette would have to get another piercing. Well, she had been thinking about getting more anyway.

Her parents had come to the rescue and bought her a whole box of new, beautiful fabric, measuring tapes and pins. She’d almost exhausted her current supply of spare fabrics, and now she was set to make even more clothes.

And finally it came to Lila’s present. Marinette smiled at Lila as she ran her fingers over the wrapping paper, searching for the folds so she could try to remove it as nicely as she could. The box was thin and flat, although not as flat as Adrien’s. 

When she finally removed all the ribbons and paper, she found herself with a box containing a drawing tablet with a display.

“Oh my gosh!” Marinette exclaimed, with as much excitement she’d had for all of the other presents. She’d gotten some amazing gifts, and this was just as perfect for her as the rest her. She could draw whenever and wherever she wanted now!

“Do you like it?” Lila asked nervously, and Marinette nodded, turning the box over in her hands. 

“Thank you all so much,” She said, looking at all of the presents that surrounded her, “You all are the best!”

“Only the best for you,” Her mother said, and everyone was nodding and smiling and everything was perfect.

“Happy birthday!” Lila said again, her smile reaching her eyes.

Marinette was lucky to have her.


	4. FPS vs RPG

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> marinette only likes playing gritty scifi fighting games and FPS, meanwhile lila is all about the story and art of a fantasy RPG game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for lilanette week day 5

Marinette was a freaking monster.

Underneath that bubbly exterior and bright smile was a bloodthirsty, terrible monster who laid waste to anyone that got in her way when she had a controller in her hand. 

Marinette was a merciless gamer.

Lila didn’t know too much about fighting games or shooting games when she first got to know Marinette, nevermind console games that required a controller. She just played games she could get on her laptop or on a small handheld device, so that moving would be easier. A lot of the times she had fun just exploring the vast worlds in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. She downloaded calming gardening games and mobile games. She played visual novels and old, pixelated rpg games.

And for some reason, she’d come to expect Marinette wouldn’t really play any games at all. It didn’t really fit her gentle, sociable character. She’d heard that Marinette had won the tournament for a fighting game, but it was a popular game that lot’s of people.

Despite all that, Lila had dropped by Marinette’s house to surprise her and found the girl sitting on the couch, her butt on the edge of the seat and her fingers grasping the controller as if she wanted to crush it. 

Marinette was cute and kind and a compassionate person.

Marinette was also  _ demolishing  _ any enemy that came by. 

With vigor.

Lila stood in the doorway, staring as Marinette’s fingers danced on the controller, moving far faster than anything Lila could actually register with the naked eye. The character she controlled on the screen moved accordingly, and then dealt a finishing blow to the enemy, who crumpled in a heap.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Lila commented, walking over the couch.

“Oh, Lila!” Marinette set the controller down and stood up, turning to Lila. She laughed a little, extending her arms over the couch so they could hug.

“Seriously, you  _ destroyed  _ that guy.” Lila shot a look over Marinette’s shoulder as they hugged across the couch.

“Oh, it was no big deal. I was just practicing against AI,” Marinette said as they pulled away, and then gestured Lila over to sit down.

“Do you play… other games?” Lila asked. Maybe if Marinette mentioned something that Lila also played, they could try to play something together.

But the games Lila liked were nothing like this violent fighting game.

“Oh, yea, I do!” Marinette exclaimed, and then started counting on her hand. “Warzone, Battle’s Light, Overlook, Ultimate Crash…” She went on, naming a bunch of games Lila knew nothing about. They all sounded like fighting games, however. “I also like playing lots of FPS, in case you couldn’t tell.”

“Jesus,” Lila made a face, “they all sound so violent.”

At that Marinette made an indignant face right back at Lila.

“They test your reaction and intelligence. They’re really fun, I promise. Besides, most of them don’t have any gore. The bodies just kind of ragdoll.”

Lila was unconvinced, and she had to admit that lots of the terms just flew over her head. 

“Why don’t you try some? We can play together,” Marinette suggested, plugging in another controller and changing the game in the console.

“Really?” Lila said, unwilling. The TV screen lit up with a stylized fighter image with the title ‘Overlook’ across the top.

“It’ll be fun! Come on, Lila. I’ll help you through the basics.” Marinette put the controller in Lila’s hands, and pointed at the buttons. “These joysticks are for moving around. The left moves your actual person, and the right moves the camera. These buttons are for different attacks…”

Lila tried to pay attention, she really did, but it was way too much information and she barely retained anything.

“I’ll put us in a match, then.”

“Wait, what about the tutorial?” Lila asked in a panic as the game found a match.

“I just gave you a tutorial,” Marinette said, and her fingers settled on the controller comfortably as the TV loaded in.

“Oh god.” Lila squinted at the hero selection screen, “Who do I play?”

“It might be easiest to play Angel,” Marinette said, pointing, “She’s a healer. She just heals people or damage boosts them. You just have to click on your teammates and hold.”

“What have I got myself into?” Lila groaned, selecting the character, “Who are you playing?”

“I’m playing Rhinestone,” Marinette said, “She’s a tank. I take most of the damage for the team, and you heal me up.”

Lila spent the first minute of the game figuring out how the controls worked as Marinette nagged her.

“Lila, I need heals!” Marinette said frantically, “I’m dying!”

“Crap, where are you?” Lila asked, wildly pressing buttons on the controller and trying to find the massive armored figure that was Rhinestone. 

“I’m dead,” Marinette said, disappointment in her voice, “Lila, you have to stick with your tank!”

“I have literally no idea what I’m doing!” Lila protested, trying to split her attention between the game and criticizing Marinette’s behavior, “You put me in a match against  _ real people  _ when I don’t even know how to play the game!”

Just then, Lila’s character put away the healing staff and pulled out a tiny gun.

“I have a gun?!” Lila looked down at her controller, wondering how that happened.

“Yes, you have a gun,” Marinette replied, already apologetic. “I’m sorry, Lila, I was getting too excited.”

But Lila didn’t pay her attention, and had run at the enemy team with her tiny pistol and then died.

But not before taking one of them down with her.

“Oh, now I understand,” Lila suddenly said, and proceeded to retire the healing gun and just shoot everyone with her tiny pistol.

“Lila, you’re the only healer on this team,” Marinette said, amused.

“So what?” Lila said as she felled another enemy with ten headshots from her baby gun. 

“You’ve got to heal everyone…” Marinette continued.

“Fine,” Lila said, and then became adept at switching between healing and being the real damage dealer.

“Good god, calm down, Lila!” 

Lila laughed, winking at Marinette. Maybe it was kind of violent, but there was a euphoric that came with feeling like she was  _ in _ the battle. First person games like this were really fun.

***

“It’s only fair,” Lila insisted, opening her laptop on the table with Marinette’s computer, “I played your game, so you should play mine.”

“You had fun though!” Marinette protested.

“Maybe I did, so maybe you’ll enjoy my games too,” Lila just continued, and pulled up a website on Marinette’s computer. “Download and install this.”

Marinette sighed, giving in. Well, it was true that it was fair. But she’d never really had much interest in games other than fighting ones. It helped her get better at reacting and reflexes, which was good for being a superhero. 

Lila launched the program on her laptop and on Marinette’s computer, and an epic fantasy tune began to play. 

“I’ll walk you through the tutorial,” Lila said, “But you’ve got to make a character first. What class do you want to be? Actually… maybe we should start with race?” Lila wondered, clicking through the menu. The screen showed a panning camera view of colorful mountains and forests, with fantastic cities on the treetops. Marinette just stared.

“Race?”

“Like, do you want to be a human? You can be a dwarf or an elf. There are lots of other races to pick too,” Lila explained, opening the character creator. Marinette wrinkled her nose; she’d never had to spend time making a character before she was already playing the game, guns blazing.

“Does it matter?”

“Not that much, but some races have different stat bonuses and such. You might want to pick a race that suits your class.”

“Class? Do you mean like a medic and a soldier?” Marinette, asked, squinting at the screen. 

“Fantasy classes. There are clerics, which are like medics. There are knights and rogues and mages and a whole lot more. More specifically, there are classes like blade masters or summoners, too. You played a tank in Overlook, maybe you’d like a tanky class for this game, too?”

“Um, sure?” Marinette was kind of lost. She knew the basics of fantasy, but not much more than that.

“You could be like a paladin or a beserker, then.”

Lila went on, asking tons of questions that made Marinette’s head spin. There were way more classes than there needed to be, she thought, and way too many options to make. It had been hard enough to decide on a race and class, and now she had to decide its appearance?

“Can’t I just go with the default?” She asked uncertainly.

“No way. They’re ugly,” Lila shook her head firmly, and then pulled up her own character. “I’m a summoner,” She said, pointing to the small figure. It was a very short person with massive animal ears, and next to it stood a small cat. Lila’s character had dark blue hair as well as dark blue fur on its ears and tail, and golden eyes with star-shaped pupils. But, Marinette had to agree, it  _ was  _ way cuter than the default designs she’d already made. 

“Well, if I’m going to be a tank, I want to make my character as big as possible,” Marinette said, turning back to her own screen. She changed the slider options, maximizing the height and build of the character. She’d picked the tankiest race, so she literally was the maximum height.

“What if you had stick legs?” Lila asked, laughing. “Your character skipped leg day.”

Marinette smiled, and adjusted the options accordingly to make the long legs as skinny as possible.

“Oh my god,” Lila’s hand went over her mouth, “What have you done?”

The two girls burst out laughing over the character.

Eventually they finally finished making Marinette’s character, who was about as tanky as possible.

“Now what?” Marinette asked.

“Now,” Lila said, taking the mouse, “We start the adventure.”

The screen changed, and Marinette gasped. Her character was floating in the sea, adrift in a storm. She watched as a boat went by, and the man on the boat dragged her character on. And then it changed to a view of a city in the sky, and Marinette stared. She was used to stylized or gritty landscapes, but she hadn’t seen many majestic, magical and fantastical environments like this before.

“It’s so beautiful!” She exclaimed.

“I know, right?” Lila agreed.

So they went through the beginning stage, Marinette learning the motions through the tutorial. 

“So this is the Moon clan,” Marinette said, piecing it together, “And I’m a student here. And that old guy is my master?”

“Yup,” Lila nodded, “Now you have to go here.”

Marinette was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself immensely. The game was beautiful and breathtaking, and the cutscenes were really engaging. She loved to watch her character interact with everyone else, and she felt happiness rush in her heart when she talked to her NPC friends.

She was having a  _ lot  _ of fun.

She was having a lot of fun until the end of the tutorial, when the bad guys invaded the floating city. She was having fun until she found her character lying on the ground, injured and surrounded by bad guys while her master stood in front of them, looking menacing.

“If you attack us, then we will kill your pupil,” The woman to the left of Marinette’s character said, sneering. The master growled, half transformed into his true monstrous self. He’d gone to use his true power to protect the clan, but could not do much without endangering the character.

“ _ No _ ,” Marinette whispered, biting her lip in worry as the master gave up, slowly transforming back into his weaker form.

“Good choice,” the woman laughed, and Marinette almost screamed when she leaped forward and stabbed her mentor in the chest.

Lila was having fun watching Marinette’s reaction. This MMORPG had a really good tutorial that really made you want to keep playing, so she’d picked the right game.

On the screen, Marinette’s character tried to drag herself away as all the bad guys stepped past her to look down at the corpse of her dead master. And then the character tumbled over the edge of the floating land mass, falling in the rain and dark magic that swirled around them. In the end, she landed in the ocean, and floated while unconscious until a boat came by.

“So, what do you think?” Lila asked as the screen faded to black. Marinette turned to Lila with a look of horror.

“Is he really dead?” She whispered sadly, and Lila blinked, not expecting that level of emotion.

“Yea…” Lila nodded, and Marinette frowned.

“I have to see what happens next,” She said, and Lila then smiled.

“Then I’ll log on and we can party up. I’ll carry you through the beginning stages.”

Lila started to play, and Marinette blinked in surprise when she saw the even more majestic environment that Lila’s character was in.

“You’ll get there at level twenty,” Lila informed her, and then teleported her character back to the start, “Let’s try to get there tonight!”


	5. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new years woohoo

“So, any resolutions?” Marinette asked, huddled next to Lila on the bed. The two were taking turns showing each other random anime episodes on Lila’s laptop, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. They were actually at Alya’s house, but the entire class and more had come and were having a fairly rowdy party. Lila and Marinette had already partied hard enough; Marinette had already beaten everyone at several board and console games and Lila had told enthralling stories and then beaten Marinette at Just Dance. They’d eaten dinner and had cake already, and then everyone had gathered around the TV, watching the on-screen celebration and waiting for the fireworks show. Lila and Marinette had opted to go somewhere quieter, already feeling tired out.

And now they were in Alya’s guest room, seated on the bed together. The guest room had a big window that was facing perfectly to where one firework show was scheduled to be, so they would have a good view, even if they were going to be a little small.

“I don’t know,” Lila returned after a small pause. “Maybe be the best girlfriend I can be?” 

“Oh, come on,” Marinette said, turning red and gently shoving Lila, “You’re already amazing!”

“That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement!” Lila replied instantly, also coloring, “And I’m not amazing, Marinette. You- You should know that. I’m a liar. I’m a fake. I-”

“You  _ were _ . That doesn’t mean you are now,” Marinette protested, taking Lila’s hand. “You’ve changed a lot already.”

“Maybe,” Lila agreed, “But I’m not done yet. I’m not satisfied with myself yet. I want to be a better person.”

Marinette fell silent for a second.

“Me too.”

“You? But you’re already perfect?” Lila asked in surprise. “You’re already there!”

“No.” Marinette shook her head, “I’m not. I have a long way to go. I’m still shy. I jump to conclusions sometimes. I’m too proud. The list goes on, Lila. I promise I’m not perfect.”

“Well,” Lila finally said, “We have the rest of our lives to change. We can become better people together.”

“I’d like that.” Marinette smiled, squeezing Lila’s hand.

“I also have a lot of other things I want to do. Like going on more dates!” Lila added, winking.

“What a coincidence! I had the same idea,” Marinette laughed. 

“I also need to raise my grades. I want to hang out with friends more. I want to play more games with you...” Lila started counting on her free hand until she ran out of fingers, and then shrugged. “I guess we have a lot of work to do.”

“Hah, yes!” Marinette grinned, leaning her head on Lila. “And we haven’t even finished watching this episode!”

Just then, Marinette’s phone started buzzing just as something shot up into the sky.

“It’s midnight!” Marinette exclaimed, pulling her phone out to see the alarm. The light in the sky vanished for a second, and then exploded into a hundred more lights, fanning out in a flower-like formation. More fireworks followed the first, spraying colored light into the night sky.

“Happy New Year,” Lila said, and then brought her free hand over to lift up Marinette’s chin and kiss her. Marinette smiled into the kiss, taking her free hand too to cup Lila’s face. 

“Happy New Year to you too,” Marinette said in the brief pause where they pulled apart to breathe, and the two of them giggled before starting to kiss again. 

Just then the door opened.

“Happy New Y-  _ awwwww! _ ” Alya’s voice came from the door, and the two turned red, “That’s adorable!”

“Happy New Year Alya!” Marinette called from the bed, blushing.

“Happy New Year,” Lila mumbled as well, putting her face in her hand.

“We’ve got celebratory ice cream downstairs if you want any,” Alya said, winking, “Or I can bring some up here if you want.”

“We can come down, Alya,” Marinette shook her head in amusement, getting off the bed and pulling Lila along. The three of them laughed as they went down the stairs down to their friends where they belonged.


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lilanette week prompt that i missed

A family could be two woman, two parakeets, and a big, fluffy dog. 

And that’s it, for at least several years.

“We should adopt a kid,” Lila suddenly said during breakfast. Now aged thirty-three, she and her wife had fallen into a comfortable schedule with steady jobs. The two had spent a solid eight years in marriage and had successfully found good futures for themselves, and Lila believed that now that they had gotten their lives together, maybe they might like to have a child. They even had an extra guest room in their house, which would be perfect for their kid.

Marinette had her shop, which had an endorsement from Agreste Fashion as well as an agreement over selling parts of each other's’ collection. Her shop was just a block away from the bakery, and received consistent business. By starting her own brand, Marinette had given herself lots of freedom in choosing what she would make and what she  _ could _ make. She was particularly well known for her dresses and advice on putting together effective outfits.

Lila, surprisingly, developed a liking for kids and actually got a degree in literature and in teaching, and was a well-liked teacher at both the local  _ école primaire  _ and the  _ collège  _ which were in the same building. She used her skill at storytelling to write children’s books (Marinette helped teach her simple illustration) and short novels on the side, and lived a fairly good life. 

She wanted to give her students the kind of love her parents were not capable of giving her, and by being a teacher, she could connect to multiple kids at once. Furthermore, after the first year, she learned how to show the kids who was boss and would not take any nonsense. 

And over the past few years, Lila had debated about having a kid. She thought about the pain and inefficiency of pregnancy (not to mention having to leave her students for a good chunk of time) and decided against it. She thought about adopting a baby.

But then she thought about all of the kids who had been like her, but worse. Kids who were older than ten and suffered from a lack of love from their families. Teens who had to get by alone. Young adults who knew they would never be picked in favor of the younger and cuter children. 

There were hundreds, most likely, if not  _ thousands  _ of orphaned kids or kids who were unwanted by their parents. There was no need to have a baby when there was already a surplus of suffering children.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Marinette agreed, sipping her coffee, “I’ve been thinking about that, too.

“I want to adopt an older kid, though,” Lila continued, looking at her wife, “And maybe after we’ve had one for awhile, we can consider adopting another.”

Marinette thought about this. She and her spouse now had steady, stable lives and would be perfectly capable of financing a child, and she believed that the two of them would be especially good at providing love to them. 

They did it.

***

The girl was fifteen years old. 

She had dark skin and long, wavy black hair that was pulled into a slightly messy bun. She carried herself with dignity and had a cold, defiant look in her dark eyes. She didn’t match Lila’s or Marinette’s gaze.

This was someone who had been disappointed, Lila presumed, many times, by foster parents or by the system itself. The girl didn’t think she would be with Lila and Marinette for long. In fact, she didn’t think she would be with them at all.

“Her name is Satya,” The man told them, gently pushing her in their direction. She walked faster to get rid of his touch on her back, and came to a stop a few feet in front of the two women. The girl was only half a foot shorter than Marinette, and probably was still growing.

Lila bent her knees a bit so she could look at the girl at eye-level. This was already the wrong move, because Satya just turned her head away.

“Hey,” Lila said, and the gentleness in her voice made Satya start just a bit, “Do you like animals?”

The question was so unexpected that Satya turned back to look at Lila in surprise, but she quickly fixed her face again, schooling it into a calm, hard look.

“Yes.”

“Dogs? Birds?” Lila kept asking, voice completely serious. Satya knit her eyebrows and looked at her in confusion and mistrust, but answered anyway.

“...yes.”

“Do you want to live with them?”

“T-there are no pets here,” Satya answered, eyeing Lila uncertainly.

“But there are pets with us.” Lila gestured to herself and Marinette, who was watching with rapt attention. “Do you want to live with us?”

“You don’t want me,” Satya said immediately, and the man behind her sighed.

“Why not?” Lila inquired.

“I’m too old. No one wants a kid as old as me.”

At that, Lila laughed.

“Not older than me, I hope?” She smiled at Satya, who had blinked in surprise and put a hand to her mouth, but not before a giggle slipped out. Even Marinette made a small grin.

“No, I don’t think so,” Satya replied, her cool demeanor giving way to a tentative friendliness.

“Well, then there’s no problem!” Lila said, “Why don’t you come live with us?”

“I-Are you sure you want me?” Satya asked, still looking a little apprehensive.

“I’m sure I want you to come pet our dog,” Lila said in reply, “that’s for certain.” Satya laughed again, relaxing even more.

“Fine,” Satya said, “But only if you adopt my friend, too.”

The man behind her groaned.

“Two?” Marinette said from behind Lila, and Lila stood up straight and patted her wife’s shoulder.

“We can definitely handle two. I’m good with kids, I promise,” She reassured Marinette, who made a face.

“Okay, sure,” Lila said, unfazed by the request. At that, Satya’s eyes widened for a second, not actually expecting an agreement.

“But she doesn’t want my friend,” Satya said accusingly, pointing to Marinette.

“She just hasn’t seen your friend yet,” Lila waved it off, “Let’s see them.”

The man left to bring back another girl, who was shorter and rounder than Satya. She was fourteen, the man said, and was Chinese. She had straight black hair that reached her shoulders and dark brown eyes that darted around nervously. She was chubby and was soft all around.

“S-Satya.” She said, eyes wide, shuffling over to the first girl. She looked at Marinette and Lila with mistrust as well, and stood half-behind Satya.

“This is my friend, Mei,” Satya said, putting a hand on Mei’s shoulder. 

“Do you like dogs and birds, too?” Lila asked gently.

Mei nodded.

And that was that.

***

The Dupain-Cheng’s dog had never experienced so much love before in its life. He was a large, fluffy malamute that was content to lie there next to Satya and Mei, being scratched or being a pillow. He was happy to run around in the backyard, chasing the balls that were thrown about. Satya developed a close bond with one of the birds, and Mei had done so too with the other.

Satya came to admire Marinette’s work and would often help at her shop when not in school. She was excited to learn about the fabrics and designs and quickly got the hang of cutting and pinning them. Mei liked to be with her too, but was less interested in the clothing and would frequently read books, especially books written by Lila.

And at the end of the day, the four would come home. Lila and Marinette would figure out what to make for dinner, and have Satya and Mei help with the preparations. Once those were done, the kids were free to do homework or something until their moms finished making the food. They would sit together at the table and Satya would tell Lila about everything she learned. Mei would talk about Lila’s books and Lila would recommend other novels for her to read. The four would eat together and they would be happy.

They were a family.


End file.
